


When Super Met Marvel

by slincoln



Category: Shazam (Comics), Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Punching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-08-02 01:27:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16295669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slincoln/pseuds/slincoln
Summary: Kara makes friends with a new hire at CatCo named Mary Bromfield.  She's just a normal girl from Fawcett City, right?





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All the characters contained in this story are the propery of DC Comics and Warner Brothers. No infringement is intended.
> 
> Spoilers: This story takes place in between season three and four of Supergirl.

Mary Bromfield stood outside the headquarters of CatCo Worldwide Media, drew in deep breath, and adjusted the cuffs of her new suit.  “Okay Mary, time to put that college education to good use and prove to Billy that I can make it outside of Fawcett City.”  She felt in her blazer pocket for the folded up email confirming her interview that morning.

She strode into the building and after what felt to her like a tense interaction with the receptionist she was directed onto an elevator up to the building’s top floor.  Mary walked past a cluster of low-walled cubicles until she came to a large, glass-walled office that currently stood empty.  Mary looked around the office floor for some sign of what to do when a woman with blonde hair and dressed in a sensible button down shirt and dress pants approached her.

“Can I help you?”  the woman asked Mary.

“I’m here to interview for the executive assistant position?”  Mary said.  “Is Ms. Luthor or Mr. Olson around?  I’ll be honest, the ad was a little fuzzy about who I’d actually be working for.”

“Why don’t we step into the office and sort this all out,” the woman said.  She motioned for Mary to sit down on one of the two sofas in the office.  “I’m sorry about all the confusion.  Lena’s been busy with a new project at L-Corp, which is why you’re here, the person you’re interviewing to replace transferred over there to help Lena out with whatever it is she’s working on.  And James is still on his leave of absence following his admission that he’s the vigilante Guardian.  We’re a little rudderless right now, but not to worry, we can steer ourselves pretty well at this point.  I’m Kara by the way, Kara Danvers.”  She held out her hand to Mary who shook it.

“Mary Bromfield, and not to be rude, but what about my interview?”

Kara nodded her head.  “You wait right here.  I’ll call Lena and let her know you’re here.”  Kara pulled out her phone and stepped out onto the office balcony.

The sound of her phone ringing caused Lena to look up from the experiment she was running in her lab deep in the bowels of L-Corp.  “Ms. Tessmacher!” She yelled.  “Where’s my phone?”

“Here it is Ms. Luthor,” Eve Tessmacher said as she rushed over to Lena’s side holding the phone.  “It’s Kara.”

The scowl on Lena’s face cleared at the mention of Kara’s name.  “Kara, hi, what’s up?”

“I’m standing in your office at CatCo with your ten am appointment,” Kara said.

Lena winced.  “Eve’s replacement, I completely forgot that was today.”

“Do you want me to tell her to wait, or come back another time?”

Lena looked over at her lab bench then sighed.  “You should have her reschedule, I can’t possibly get away from this experiment today.”  Lena paused.  “That’s not fair to Ms. Bromfield though, why don’t you do the interview.”

“Me?”  Kara asked.

“Sure, is there anyone who better knows what the job takes than you?”  Lena said.  “Please Kara, this would be a huge help to me.  Interview her, and if you think she’s right for the job I’ll hire her.”

“Are you sure?”  Kara asked. She glanced back at the young woman sitting in the office.

“There’s no one whose opinion I trust more,” Lena said.

Kara chewed on her lip.  “Well, okay if you say so.”

“Great, there’s a packet on my desk with all her personal information and CV in it.  Call me with your recommendation. Gotta go, and thanks again.”  Lena hung up the phone.  “Ms. Tessmacher!”

Kara put away her phone and walked back into the office.  She smiled at Mary.  “Change of plan, Lena, Ms. Luthor is unexpectedly held up so I’ll be conducting your interview.”  Kara walked behind the office desk and sat down.  Just as Lena promised there was a folder sitting on the desk labelled M. Bromfield.

“Is this normally how things operate here?  Random people doing interviews?”  Mary asked as she stood up from the sofa.

Kara’s ears turned pink.  “That’s totally fair, but you’re interviewing to replace my replacement so Lena, Ms. Luthor, thought I would be the best person to interview you since I know what the job requires.”

Mary sat down in one of the chairs opposite the desk.  “That makes a lot of sense actually, sorry about questioning your qualifications.”

“Oh it’s fine,” Kara said with a wave of her hand.  She opened up the folder.  “Things are still pretty unsettled here after the whole Worldkiller fiasco, but we’re slowly getting back to normal.”  Kara drew in a deep breath.  “Let’s talk about you, why do you want to work for CatCo?”  Kara folded her hands together and leaned against the desk.

Mary squirmed in her seat.  “I’ve wanted a job in the media for years, my brother works in radio, and CatCo seems like the best place to get my foot in the door and start making connections.”

Kara nodded her head.  “But why?”

“We live in a world where people do amazing things to help people, and I want to do my part.”

Kara smiled.  “That’s a very good answer, but this job is more getting coffee than saving the world, are you okay with that?”

“Of course, I’d be helping the people who are making the difference so I’d be doing my part.”

Kara’s smiled widened.  “That’s an even better answer.”  She looked down at the papers in front of her.  “So you’re from Fawcett City?”

“That’s right, the best little city in the country.”

“And you said you have a brother?”

“I do, his name is Billy, Billy Batson.  We were separated after our parents were murdered, and I was adopted by the Bromfield family, but we managed to reconnect several years ago, it’s a very long story.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Kara said.

“Does that have anything to do with me getting the job?”

Kara shook her head.  “No, no, I just wanted to get to know you better is all.”

“It’s not a topic I like to discuss with strangers.”

“I totally get that,” Kara said.  “I’m an orphan too, so I understand where you’re coming from and I’m sorry I brought it up.”  Kara shuffled the papers on the desk.

Before Kara could ask her next question her super hearing picked up the sound of sirens in the distance.  Kara swiveled around in her seat and scanned the TV monitors behind the desk until she saw one carrying a news report of a bank robbery in progress.  She spun back around to face Mary.

“I’m really hate to do this, but I’m going to have to pause this conversation.  There’s a bank robbery in progress that I need to cover  The news never sleeps you know.”

Mary looked up and saw the news report that had caught Kara’s attention.  “Right, of course, I totally get it.  What do you want me to do in the meantime?  Should I come back later?”

“Just stay right here.   I won’t be gone that long, I need to call a few contacts.”  Kara stood up and ran out of the room, and stepped onto the executive elevator.  As the elevator’s doors closed she pulled open her shirt to reveal her Supergirl costume.

In the office Mary sat in her chair and watched the news coverage.  She gasped when she saw Supergirl land in front of the bank and confer with the police outside of the range of the news cameras’ microphones.  Mary looked around the office to make sure no one was paying attention to her.  She sighed then stood up and walked not othe balcony.  She looked up to the sky then closed her eyes.  A lone peal of thunder caused the workers on the floor to jump in their seats

At the bank Kara assessed the scene.  “What do we have here?”  She asked the lead detective.

“We have five heavily armed men holding twenty bank employees and customers hostage,” the detective said.

Kara nodded her head.  “Five men, I can handle that.”  She looked over at the bank  “I’ll be right back detective.”

Kara flew through the doors of the bank and landed in the center of the lobby.  The robbers turned and faced Kara.  “Stand down Supergirl, unless you want to see these nice people killed,” the lead robber said.

Kara surveyed the room.  “Put the guns down and you won’t get hurt.”  She held out her hands in an attempt to deescalate the situation.

“It won’t work Supergirl.  We studied you, we know all your tricks.  You might be able to stop four of us before we can kill the hostages, but you won’t be able to stop the fifth.”  All five men lifted their guns and aimed them at the hostages.  “Now step back and let us leave.”

Kara shook her head.  “I can’t let you do that.”

“Then somebody is about to die.”

“I won’t let that happen either,” Kara said.  She used her heat vision to melt one of the robber’s guns and her cold breath to freeze another.  She grabbed the closest robber and threw him into into one of his accomplices sending both men crashing into a wall.  She turned and saw the lead robber was still standing with his gun pointed at the head of a bank teller.  

“Sorry Supergirl, you lose,” the robber said.

Before he could pull the trigger a hand clamped down over the muzzle of the gun.  The robber fired the gun reflexively and was shocked when nothing happened.  Kara watched in amazement as a young woman dressed in red tunic and skirt with a yellow thunderbolt emblazoned on her chest crushed the barrel of the gun with her bare hand.

“Your plan accounted for Supergirl, too bad you didn’t have a plan for me,” the woman said.  She lightly punched the robber, knocking him out.

“That was amazing, thank-you so much for the help,” Kara said as she flew over to the woman.  “Who are you?”  She took a closer look and saw that the woman’s costume was completed by matching yellow boots and a white, hooded half-cape.

“Just an admirer passing through looking to lend a hand,” the woman said.  She turned and took a step towards the door.

“Wait, stop, I want to talk to you,” Kara said.  She reached a hand out towards the woman.

“Sorry, I can’t stay to chat, but I really am a big fan of yours Supergirl, so this was a huge honor for me,” the woman said before she flew out of the bank at such a rate of speed Kara wasn’t sure she could match it.

As the police streamed into the bank Kara continued to stare off in the direction the woman had flown to.  “This wasn’t the last you’ve seen of me lady,” Kara said to herself.

-To Be Continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: Okay, let me explain. I was casting around for ideas o what I should write next when it hit me, have two of Otto Binder's most famous creations meet. I'm not sure Binder gets enough credit for his contributions to the Gold and Silver Ages of superhero comics, his name isn't even in the credits of Supergirl and he created the character! So hooray Otto Binder. Now, just as a warning, I agree with Jerry Ordway that Mary Marvel is a dumb superhero name, and therefore won't be using it, likewise I'm going with Mary Bromfield instead of Mary Batson because whatever. So after much thought I changed it to something better fitting the character, and meta appropriate considering the legal history of the name Captain Marvel. Also, not that Billy Batson will make an appearance in this story, but I'm sticking with the classic Captain Marvel name. Lastly I'm mostly drawing on the Ordway Powers of Shazam series for my inspiration, but obviously there's some New 52 in there as well. In any event enjoy and happy Supergirl Season Four premiere day everyone!  
> -sam, 2018-10-14


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All the characters contained in this story are the propery of DC Comics and Warner Brothers. No infringement is intended.
> 
> Spoilers: This story takes place in between season three and four of Supergirl.

Back at CatCo Kara walked off the executive elevator and found Mary still sitting in the office.  “Oh, you’re still here,” Kara said.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Mary said as she stood up from her chair.

“Not bad, just unexpected,” Kara said as she walked back around the desk.

Mary shrugged her shoulders.  “I don’t really have any other place to go.”

Kara rested her hands on the desk then closed the folder.  “I don’t have the authority to make this official, but you’ve got the job.”

Mary clapped her hands together.  “I do?  That’s amazing, thank-you so much!”  She rushed around the desk and hugged Kara.

“Trust me, you deserve this, I can tell you’ll do a fantastic job.  Whenever CatCo has a CEO again.”  Kara forced the frown that had formed off of her face.  “Say, do you have any plans this evening?”

“Not really, go home to my apartment and continue to unpack my stuff I guess.”

“That can wait, you should come out for drinks with me and my sister Alex.  You know, to celebrate your new job.”

“I, er, wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“Nonsense, you’re new in town and you need someone to show you around,” Kara said.  “Come on, it’ll be fun.”  Kara threw her arm over Mary’s shoulder.  “I won’t take no for an answer.”

“When you put it like that how can I refuse?”

“I’m glad you agree with me,” Kara said.

Later that night Kara led Mary up to a table in her usual bar where Alex sat nursing a whisky.  Alex looked up from her drink when she felt Kara and Mary approach.

“Hi Alex, this is Mary Bromfield, she’s new in town and I decided to take her under my wing.”  Kara held out her hands to present Mary to Alex.

Alex finished her whiskey then stood up from the table.  “If you’ll excuse us I need to talk to my sister in private for a moment,” Alex said as she shoved Kara towards the bar.

“Alex, what’s wrong?”  Kara asked.

“I thought I was very clear to you Kara, I do not want you trying to set me up on dates.”  Alex jabbed Kara in the chest with her index finger.  “I mean she is cute and all, but how old is she, twelve?”

Kara rolled her eyes.  “That’s not why I brought her here, I don’t even know if she’s straight or gay.”

Alex folded her arms across her chest.  “So why did you?”

“I told you, she’s a new hire at CatCo who just moved to town.  I’m doing the neighborly thing by keeping her company.  You know what it’s like those first few weeks in a new city hone you don’t know anyone, or have anyplace to hang out.”

Alex shook her head.  “There’s more to it than just that.”

“I’m trying to make new friends okay.  If you haven’t noticed our supply in this dimension has rapidly dwindled.  Lena spends all day locked away in L-Corp.  J’onn is off walking the land.  Jimmy’s back in Metropolis while the whole Guardian mess is still fresh in everyone’s mind.”  Kara stopped and let out a long sigh.

“Plus Mon-El and Winn are in the 31st Century,” Alex said.

“And Brainy is hardly a fair replacement,” Kara said.  “Don’t get me wrong he knows his stuff…”

“But he’s not Winn.”  Alex threw up her hands.  “Okay, you’ve made your point.  We need new friends.”  Alex looked back at the table where Mary had taken a seat.  “So do you think she’s into girls at all?”

Kara laughed.  “I thought you said she was too young for you.”

“I said she looked young, I didn’t…she’s cute all right.”

“I have no idea, but there’s one way for you to find out.”  Kara turned Alex around and marched her back to the table.

“Is everything okay?”  Mary asked Kara.

“Everything is fine, we just had to talk about some, er, sister stuff is all.”

“That was rude of me to drag Kara off like that,” Alex said.  “Let’s try this again.  Hi Mary, I’m Kara’s sister, Alex.  It’s nice to meet you.”  She held out her hand to Mary.

Mary reached across the table to shake Alex’s hand.  “Mary Bromfield, it’s nice to meet you Alex.”

“Kara says you just started at CatCo?”  Alex signaled to the waitress that she was ready for another round.

“Well not officially, but I’ve been assured the job is mine,” Mary glanced over at Kara who nodded her head.

“She’s going to be Eve Tessmacher’s replacement at CatCo,” Kara said.  “Lena had me do the interview.”

“Because you were so good at the job for Cat Grant,” Alex said.  “That makes sense.”  The waitress appeared and the conversation halted as the trio placed their drink orders.  “where are you from Mary?”  Alex asked.

“Fawcett City,” Mary replied.  “So coming to National City has been quite the transition.”

“We aren’t Gotham or Metropolis, but we are pretty bustling,” Alex said.

“I’m looking forward to it to be honest,” Mary said.  “A chance to make a fresh start of things is pretty appealing.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”  Kara asked.

“Nothing bad, nothing bad,” Mary said.  “I mean more back home I had certain, er, expectations, and here I can just be Mary, a face in the crowd.”

“I get that,” Kara said.  “We grew up in a tiny little town where everyone knew your business, and yeah it’s nice to just vanish from time to time.”  Their conversation halted again when the waitress delivered their drinks.

Alex considered Mary over the top of her glass of whiskey.  “So Mary, do you have anyone special back home?”

“I, er, that’s complicated,” Mary said as she ducked her head down.  “I mean no, no I’m not dating anyone right now, but with everything else going on in my life at the moment it hasn’t felt like the right time to date, you know?”

“Believe me, I know all about that,” Alex said into her glass.

“Why do you want to know?”  Mary asked.

“Oh, well, Kara and I both have been through some bad breakups in the past year and I wondered if you qualified to join our little pity club.”

“Alex called off her engagement late last year,” Kara said.

“And Kara had her ex swan back into her life with his new wife in tow,” Alex said.

Mary’s eyes grew wide.  “That’s, wow.”

Kara waved her hands.  “We talked it out, and anyway he left town again not too long ago, so it’s fine.”

“Are you sure, because that doesn’t sound fine to me,” Mary said.

“We’re not here to talk about old relation ships,” Kara said.  “Tonight is about making new friends, and not dwelling on the past.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Alex said.

“Here, here,” Mary said.  She looked over at the TV that hung over the bar and saw that it was showing a news broadcast of Supergirl’s exploits from earlier in the day.  “Oh look, Supergirl.”

Alex glanced over her shoulder at the TV.  “Yep, sure is.”

Mary blushed.  “I must sound like some easily impressed country rube.  You see Supergirl on the news everyday probably.”

“I take it you’re a fan then?”  Alex asked.

Mary nodded her head.  “Of course I am, who wouldn’t be?”  She tightened her grip on her beer glass. “I think she’s very inspirational.  The way she’s stepped out of Superman’s shadow and made a name for herself in National City.”

“Sounds like you have some experience in that department,” Kara said as she fought to keep her expression neutral in the face of Mary’s praise.

“My brother Billy has a tendency to take up all of the oxygen in a room.  I love him, don’t get me wrong, and I’m glad he’s back in my life after everything after everything that’s happened to us, but I need room to be me you know.”

“Trust me, all too well,” Kara said.

“Fawcett City, why does that sound familiar, wait, didn’t there used to be a superhero who operated in Fawcett City?”  Alex asked.

Kara snapped her fingers together.  “That’s right there was, only wasn’t there more than one?”

Mary drew in a deep breath. “Yes, you’ve both got a really good memory, we used to have three superheroes patrolling Fawcett.  Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr, and, uh, Ms. Marvel.”

“Right, right, I remember thinking Captain Marvel was kind of hot,” Kara said.

Mary coughed up some of the beer she had been drinking.  “Sorry, went down the wrong pipe.”

“I don’t know Kara, don’t you think he bore a passing resemblance to Superman?”  Alex asked.  She grinned at the horrified expression that crossed Kara’s face.

“No, no I do not, besides I was like sixteen at the time.”

“Personally, I was more a fan of Ms. Marvel anyway.  I wonder whatever happened to them?”  Alex said.  “They were around and then they vanished.”

Mary ran her index finger around the rim of her glass.  “Nobody really knows for sure.  They got into a fight with their arch-nemesis, Doctor Sivana, there was an explosion, and nobody’s seen them since.”

“What do you think happened?”  Kara asked.

“Some people think they all died.  I think they defeated Dr. Sivana, but the cost of victory was so high that they gave up being superheroes.”

“That must have been some cost,” Kara said.

“It was a very destructive battle.”  Mary looked down into her drink.  “A lot of good people died that day.”

“In that case a toast,” Kara said.  “To the Marvels, protectors of Fawcett City, wherever they are may they know that people still honor their sacrifice.”  She raised her glass.

“Hear hear,” Alex said as she clinked her whisky glass against Kara’s wineglass.  

Mary hesitated a moment, then touched her glass to the Danvers sisters’.  “To the Marvels,” she said in a quiet voice.

-To Be Continued-


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All the characters contained in this story are the propery of DC Comics and Warner Brothers. No infringement is intended.
> 
> Spoilers: This story takes place in between season three and four of Supergirl.

The next morning at CatCo Kara and Mary were again seated in the CEO’s office on conference call with Lena.  “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there in person Ms. Bromfield,” Lena said over the phone.  “But the project I’m working on is in a delicate stage and I cannot get away right now.”

“You’re the CEO of a major multinational corporation,” Mary said.  “Honestly I’m surprised you’re even taking the time to talk to me over the phone.”

“Nonsense, you’re going to be on my support staff.  Under normal circumstances we would be interviewing face to face, but these aren’t normal circumstances so here we are.  Kara, not to put you on the spot, but what is your recommendation?”

Kara looked over at Mary then smiled.  “Lena, I think you’re talking to CatCo’s newest executive assistant.”

“That’s all I need to hear.  If Kara thinks you can do the job then you can, end of discussion,” Lena said.

“Thank-you so much Ms. Luthor, I won’t let you down,” Mary said.

“I’m sure you won’t,” Lena said.  “Kara, I hate to ask you this, but do you think you could show Mary the ropes, at least until James comes back?”

Kara stared at the phone as she considered Lena’s request.  “Uh sure, but why me?”

“You know the job better than anyone.  I can’t think of a better person to teach Mary how things work at CatCo.”

“That’s very flattering of you to say,” Kara said.  “And of course I’ll help Mary get settled in.”  She flashed Mary a thumbs up.

“Then it’s settled, I’ll be at Catco sometime in the next few days to see how everything is going.”

“I look forward to it, it’s been too long since you visited,” Kara said.

“I know, but it can’t be helped.  Thank-you again for your help Kara, and welcome aboard Mary.”  Lena ended the call.

Kara looked up from the phone at Mary.  “That’s that then, I hate to do this to you, but I have an appointment with a source that I can’t break.”

“No, I understand, you have your actual job in addition to helping me.”

“I’ll take you down to HR, you probably have to spend the day filling out paperwork anyway.”

“Just what every girl wants to hear,” Mary said.

“Tell you what, when you’re done there send me a text and we can go out for dinner.  I know all the best budget places to eat in National City.”

“It sounds like running into you was the best to happen to me since I moved here.”

Kara smiled at Mary.  “That’s so sweet of you to say.”  

At the DEO, Alex was sitting in her new office adjusting the contents of her desk when Kara walked in dressed in her Supergirl costume.  “How’s it going Director Danvers?”  Kara asked.

“That is never going to sound right to me,” Alex said.  She stood up and gave Kara a hug.  “What are you doing here?”

“Do I need an excuse to visit my sister?”  Kara asked.  “I’m just checking in to see if there’s anything that needs my attention.”

Alex walked around her desk and pushed a button that caused a hologram of National City to appear in the middle of the room.  “An upgrade from Brainy,” Alex said.

“Cool,” Kara said.  She ran her hand through the hologram.

“This shows me real time information about the state of the city.  If anything happens it will pop up here.”

“So is there anything going on?”  Kara asked.

“Not a thing, except for run of the mill criminals, like the thugs you beat up yesterday.”

“The thugs me and the mystery woman beat up,” Kara said.  “Do we know who she is?”

“Not a clue, the security cameras in the bank were down and she moved too fast for any of the TV cameras to get a good look at her.”

“Hopefully she makes another appearance soon.  It would be nice to have another superhero in National City again.”

Alex leaned against her desk.  “Tired of the limelight already?”

Kara frowned.  “You know that’s never been why I do this.  I simply happen to think that two heads are better than one.”

“It’s not like you’re going out there on your own, you’ve got the entire DEO and a twelfth level intellect backing you up,” Alex said.

“I’ve been meaning to ask how that transition is going,” Kara said.

Alex pinched the bridge of her nose.  “It’s been an adjustment.  Fortunately the number of people coming here demanding I ship Brainy off to Antartica has dropped to only one a day.”

Kara winced.  “He means well, and he is trapped in his past with no chance of returning home until Winn and the Legion sort out the AI plague thing.”

“You’d think that would make him more accommodating,” Alex said.  She slumped into her chair.  “I knew replacing J’onn  wouldn’t be easy, but not like this.”

Kara sat down in one of the chairs opposite Alex’s desk.  “Do you want me to have a word with Brainy?”

“No, no, I’ll do it, I’m the boss that’s my job.  You’re the muscle, you handle the punching.”

“There’s not really anything for me to punch at the moment,” Kara said.

“And we are all grateful for that,” Alex said.

Kara drummed the armrest of her chair.  “We are, but it’s also so boring.”

“I’m sure the end of the world is just around the corner,” Alex said as she started to type on her computer.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was boring you,” Kara said.

Alex looked up from her computer and sighed.  “Sorry, the paperwork never ends around here.  I have no idea how J’onn managed.”

“He lived here, and he didn’t sleep,” Kara said.

Alex tapped on her chin.  “I bet I could fit a cot in here.”

“That is not what you were supposed to take away from that anecdote,” Kara said.  “You can’t do everything the way J’onn did, and frankly he’d be upset with you if you tried.  Get an assistant to help you with the routine paperwork so you can focus on the important things like strategy.”

“I don’t suppose you’re offering to do the job?”  Alex asked.

Kara laughed.  “Oh no, my days of being an assistant are long behind me.  I’m a reporter now, and I’m just starting to breakthrough at it too.”

“Relax Kara, I was joking, mostly,” Alex said.

“It’s too bad you didn’t come to this realization a day earlier, I could’ve sent Mary your way instead of recommending that Lena hire her.”

“For one thing, now she doesn’t need a security clearance,” Alex said.  “For another CatCo probably pays better.”

“I’m sure the DEO offers competitive pay,” Kara said.

“You’d be amazed,” Alex replied.

“It’s not like you’re paying me anything,” Kara said.  “That must save you a tone of money to spend on everyone else.”

“That’s not really how budgets work,” Alex said.

Kara stood up from her chair.  “If there really isn’t anything you need my help with, I’ll leave you to your paperwork.”

“Where are you going?”

“Back to CatCo.  Lena asked me to mentor Mary until she or James comes back.  She’s with HR right now, but when they’re done with her I need to be ready with a lesson.”

Alex leaned forward on her desk.  “You’ve developed a lesson plan?  That’s adorable.”

Kara frowned at Alex.  “What’s wrong with having a lesson plan?”

“Nothing, nothing, I’m sure Mary will love to hear your techniques for getting coffee.”

“There’s more to it than just getting coffee,” Kara said.  “It’s about reading the mood of your subject.”

“You sound like a Secret Service agent,” Alex said.

“What’s really on your mind Alex?  You only make fun of executive assistants when something else is bothering you.”

“It’s about Mary,” Alex said.

“What about her?  You didn’t run a background check on her did you?”

“What kind of a question is that?  Of course I ran a background check on her, and she’s exactly who she says she is.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“You Kara, I know how you can get and I don’t want you to set yourself up for a disappointment.”

“I am not.”

“Yes you are.  You’ve already created an elaborate scenario in your head about how your friendship will play out.”

Kara folded her arms across her chest.  “That’s not…entirely true.”

Alex nodded her head.  “Uh-huh, right, I know you want more friends…”

Kara held up her hand cutting off Alex.  “Right I take your point, I won’t expect too much from Mary.”  Kara paused.  “That came out wrong.”

Alex walked back around the desk and hugged her sister.  “Make friends with her first, then start planning extravagant outings okay?”

“If you insist.”

Alex waved to Kara.  “I do.  What do you want us to do about our mystery hero?”

“Nothing, she’ll turn up again and we can deal with her then.”

“If you say so.”

“I do, I also don’t think we have anything to worry about from her.”

“I hope you’re right,” Alex said.  She waited until kara had left the office before returning to her paperwork.

Across town a team of five men were the sole occupants in an empty warehouse.  Facing them was a large cork board with maps and photos pinned to it. Four of the men sat around a folding card table while the fifth stood in front of the cork board and held a wooden pointer.

“Hello gentlemen and thank-you all for coming.  I’ve worked with all of you individually in the past, but never as a unified crew.  I think this collection of talent will do exciting things.  We all know each other, but I’ll go around the room just in case.  First off, we have Wheels, the best getaway driver in the country.  Then there’s Phreak, a wizard at security systems.  He can break into any building at anytime.”

“That’s what my business card says,” Phreak, a young man with a shaved head, said.

“Then you all know Rem, our weapons expert.”

“I can shoot and make things blow up,” Rem said.

“Like that job in Coast City,” Wheels said.  He and Rem bumped fists across the table.

“Lastly Nails.  He’s along to make sure if there are any problems on the job they don’t stay that way for long.”  A tall, muscular man nodded in acknowledgement.

“And what are we supposed to call you for this little adventure?”  Phreak asked.

“Simple, Boss,” Boss said as he spread out his arms.

“That’s not egotistical at all,” Wheels said.

“So what’s this job you have in mind?”  Rem asked.

“An excellent question.  What I am proposing that that we knock over jewelry stores.  Smash and grab stuff. Shop owners have gotten complacent on account of all the superheroes running around. But now that Guardian’s out of the picture there’s an opening for a truly great crew to take advantage of the situation and make a fortune.  I already have fences in place up and down the coast to take the good off of our hands, all we have to do is go out and acquire the merchandise.”

“Now Boss, correct me if I’m wrong, but Supergirl does still live in National City, does she not?”  Rem asked.

“You are correct about that my friend.  However I can assure each and every one of you that Sueprgirl will not be a problem for us because I have a plan.”  Boss held up his index finger.  “However, before I can go into details I need to know that all of you are in.  I’m not wanting to explain myself only to see one of you run off to the police.”

“Come on man, you know we wouldn’t do that,” Wheels said.

“And you know how I got to where I am,” Boss said.  “Now are you in or out?”

“This is a big ask you’re making,” Phreak said.

“Believe me I know, and I’m not asking you boys to do anything I wouldn’t.  If this thing goes sideways I’ll be right there with you.”

“When you put it that way, I’m in,” Wheels said.

“What the hell, me too,” Phreak said.

“If they’re in I suppose I have to be,” Rem said.

“And what about you Nails, do we have a quorum?”  Nails nodded in reply and Boss clapped his hands together.  “That’s what I like to hear.  Let’s get down to the nitty gritty shall we?”

-To Be Continued-


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All the characters contained in this story are the propery of DC Comics and Warner Brothers. No infringement is intended.
> 
> Spoilers: This story takes place in between season three and four of Supergirl.

At CatCo Kara found Mary sitting in the cafeteria with a table full of papers in front of her.  “That is a lot of paperwork,” Kara said.  “I am not going to lie.”  She sat down at the table across from Mary.

Mary looked up at Kara.  “It’s more than a little that’s for sure.  But it’s okay, it’s proof I got the job.”

“That’s the spirit,” Kara said.  “How has your day been going?”

“I’ve watched so many orientation videos you can’t even imagine,” Mary said.  “I can’t wait to be done with all this and start doing actual work.”

“After you turn those forms in are we can start my special training.”  Kara looked around the cafeteria.  “Or we could start right now, this paperwork isn’t going anywhere after all.”

“Tempting, but I’m almost done with these so I’d really rather get them finished.”

“Okay, I’ll get some lunch while you’re working then.”  Kara stood up from the table and walked towards the cafeteria line.

Mary looked up when Kara returned with a tray loaded down with food.  “Are you feeding an army?”  She asked Kara.

“I have a very fast metabolism,” Kara replied.  “If I don’t eat like this I get loopy.”

“Such a burden,” Mary said as she watched Kara bite into a sandwich.

“I know right?  Alex always calls me a jerk every time we go out for dinner.”

“I can see her point,” Mary returned to her paperwork and signed her signature on the last form.  “There, I’m all done.”

“Awesome, let me finish this,” Kara waved her hand over the remaining food on her tray.  “And then we can get started.”

Mary looked down at Kara’s tray.  “Okay that, uh, sounds good.”

“Do you want any of this?”  Kara asked.

“No, that’s okay, I don’t want to be a mooch,” Mary said.

Kara finished off her sandwich.  “Suit yourself.  One of the perks to working here is that the cafeteria is really good.”  Kara cocked her head to one side when she heard  an alarm ringing in the distance.  She wiped her mouth off with a napkin.  “Shoot, I forgot I agreed to meet with a source.  When I get back from that we can over my tips for the job.”

“What about your lunch?”

Kara stood up.  “Can you take care of it for me?  I’m sorry to dump that on you, but I have to fly.”

“Sure, no problem, it’s the least I can do for all the help you’ve given me so far,” Mary said.

Kara smiled at Mary.  “You’re the best.”

Mary watched as Kara hustled out of the cafeteria.  “What a strange person,” Mary said to herself.  “Nice, but strange.”

Kara landed outside the source of the alarm, a jewelry store that was being robbed.  The store was built into the first floor of a larger building with a large plate glass window looking out onto the street.  The window had been smashed in by the robbers.  Kara stepped through the window and found five masked men holding the store’s staff and customers at gunpoint.

“Okay, drop the, er guns, and surrender,” Kara’s voice faltered when she saw the strange, futuristic looking weapons the robbers held.

“I was wondering when you were going to show up Supergirl,” Boss said from behind the ski mask covering his face.  He glanced down at his watch.  “You’re running late.”

Kara cracked her knuckles.  “I’m right on time to stop you.”

“I don’t think so.  Rem, Nails, take care of her,” Boss said.

“With pleasure,” Rem said.  He and Nails unslung their rifles and before Kara could react they shot at her with beams of energy.  The force of the blast sent Kara flying out of the store and into the building across the street.  By the time she picked herself out of the rubble the robbers had vanished.

“Supergirl are you okay?”  Please respond,” Alex said over the radio.

“Yeah, I’m fine, just got sucker punched is all.

“Come back to the DEO, we need to talk,” Alex

Kara brushed hunks of plaster out of her hair.  “Yeah will do.  I’ll be there soon, and tell Brainy he’d better have figured out what the hell those guns were.  I need to go back to CatCo for a few first though.”  She turned off her radio without giving Alex a chance to reply.  Kara then surveyed the damaged building to see if anyone was hurt before she flew off.

Back at CatCo Kara found Mary sitting at Kara’s old desk outside of James’s office.  Mary was leafing through a copy of the CatCo employee handbook, but put it down when she saw Kara approach.  “Hey there,” Kara said.  “Sorry about ditching you at lunch like that.”

“You duck out of my interview, you ditch me at lunch, I’m starting to sense a pattern.”

Kara waved her hands frantically.  “Oh no, that’s, Mary I’m…”

“Relax Kara, I was just teasing you.”

Kara pushed up her glasses.  “Oh, right, of course sure.  So here, let me make it up to you, I’ll take you out to dinner, tonight.”

Mary cocked her head to one side.  “Laying it on a little thick don’t you think?”

Kara sat down in the chair next to Mary’s desk.  “What do you mean?”

“Just that every other time someone’s tried this hard to impress me they were also trying to date me.”

Kara’s ears turned pink.  “Oh no, that’s no, I’m not, it’s…” Kara fidgeted with her glasses then took deep break.  “I’m not asking you out on a date, but just hypothetically would you say no?  I’m not asking for myself, I have a friend, and she went through a bad breakup, a failed engagement in fact, and she really needs to start dating again.”  Kara dropped her head into her hands.  “You probably think I’m a crazy person.  Okay truth time.  I’ve had a lot of friends leave recently, and right now my only friends in town are my sister and Lena.  Don’t get me wrong, they are good friends, the best even, but it’s also a really small circle you know?  So then I meet you, and you seem like the sort of person I’d like to be friends with.  Does that seem weird?”

“No, not at all, believe me, I have no friends in National City, and I’m not interested in driving a potential friend away.”

“I can be a little obsessive when I’m trying to do something, so I’m sorry for how I might’ve come across,” Kara said.

“You don’t have anything to apologize about,” Mary said.  “I just didn’t know what your interest was so I wanted to know.  No harm, no foul.”

“I’m looking for a friend, nothing more.  Unless you are interested in women, because like I said, I have this friend and I do not mean that as a euphemism.”

“That’s flattering, but I’m not looking to date anyone right now,” Mary said as she examined her hands.

“That totally makes sense, and I won’t bring it up anymore.  But I do feel bad, so I am going to take you out for dinner my treat, and that’s final.”

Mary smiled.  “In that case how can I say no?”

“Great it’s a, well not a date, but you know.  I’ll text you the location.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Mary said.

Kara’s phone range interrupting their conversation.  She glanced down and saw Alex’s number.  “Oh hold on, I have to take this.”  She walked into James’s office.  ‘Hey Alex, what’s up?”

“Kara, can you come back to the DEO?  Brainy has some information about the jewelry store robbery.”

Kara glanced over at Mary through the office wall.  “I’ll be right over.”  

“So what have you got for me?”  Kara asked Alex as she strode down the steps from the balcony in the DOE.

“The origin off the weapons that attacked you,” Brainiac-5 said.

Kara clapped her hands together.  “That’s great.  What are they:  Czarnian, Thanagarian?”

“Cadmus,” Alex said as she entered the room.  “Cadmus designed them to kill you.”

“I thought we had captured all of Cadmus’s technology,” Kara said.

“Evidently some of it slipped through the cracks,” Brainy said.  “All is not lost however, because I have the means to track the weapons.”

“You can, where are they?”  Kara asked.

“I was getting to that,” Brainy said.  He looked over at a computer monitor and blinked his eyes causing a map to appear on it.

“How did you do that?”  Alex asked.

Brainy looked over at Alex.  “I’ve interfaced with the building’s wireless and can control the computers remotely.”

“That’s not creepy at all,” Kara said.

“It’s the most efficient way for me to access information,” Brainy said.  “Would you rather I performed sub-optimally because it is more aesthetically pleasing?”

“We can talk about this later,” Alex said.  “Where are the weapons?”

Brainy pointed at the monitor.  “There.”

Kara took a step towards the monitor.  “I know where that is.”

“Kara wait, let’s stop and come up with a plan first,” Alex said.

“We have a plan, I got there and punch the bad guys.”

“They have weapons designed to kill you,” Alex said.  “Let me put together a team to assist you.”

“Like you said, they have weapons designed to kill me.  That is precisely why I should go alone.  These weapons are too dangerous for anyone else to try and fight,” Kara said.  She spun on her heels and flew out of the DEO.

“I wish she wouldn’t do that,” Alex said.  She glared at Brainy.  “Start getting a strike team prepped.”

Kara landed outside the warehouse Brainy said the robbers were hiding out in.  She scanned the warehouse with her x-ray vision and when she didn’t see anything suspicious she pushed open the door.

Kara had only take a few steps into the warehouse when she was surrounded by beams of energy shooting up from the floor.  Kara reached a hand out to touch one of the beams, then pulled it back when she received a powerful shock.

“Careful Supergirl, that’s enough current to kill and elephant,” the disembodied voice of the Boss said from the darkness of the warehouse.

“That’s awful, elephants are beautiful animals, what gives you the right to go around electrocuting them?”  Kara shouted.

“What, where do you think we would get an elephant?”

Kara shrugged her shoulders.  “I don’t know, you’re the one who made the comparison.”

“Forget the elephants, the point is we have you trapped.”

“If it makes you feel better to think so then go right ahead.”  Kara said.  She knelt down and rested her hand against the metal sheeting of the floor.  She drew her arm back then punched the ground, knocking a hole into the flooring.  Kara grabbed an electrical conduit and pulled it out of the floor.  The bars of her cage flickered, then vanished.

Kara stood up then rolled her shoulders.  “Okay, this is the part where you surrender.”

Before Kara could advance further into the warehouse she was hit in the side by an energy blast.  She staggered, then was hit in the other side by another blast.  She looked around and saw two men step out of the shadows holding the same strange energy weapons from the jewelry store robbery.

“We, I, figured you’d find out hideout, so we were ready for you,” the man said.  “Cadmus thought these guns could hurt a Kryptonian, let’s find out if they were right.”  The other members of the crew stepped forward and also fired at Kara who struggled under the combined force of five energy blasts.

Kara felt herself being pushed into the ground.  She tried to take a step towards the robbers, but the crew managed to encircle her and there was nowhere for her to escape.

“Keep it up boys and we can say we killed ourselves a Kryptonian,” the Boss shouted.

Kara cried out in pain as she was pushed to her knees.  The ground beneath her buckled under the strain.  There was a crashing sound overhead and as Kara started to lose consciousness she saw a red and gold figure descend from the ceiling.

-To Be Continued-


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All the characters contained in this story are the propery of DC Comics and Warner Brothers. No infringement is intended.
> 
> Spoilers: This story takes place in between season three and four of Supergirl.
> 
> * * *

Kara woke with a start and found herself lying in a bed surrounded by sunlamps in the DEO infirmary.  “What, where?”

“Supergirl,” Alex said.  “It’s good to see you awake.”  She stepped into Kara’s line of sight and rested a hand on Kara’s arm.

“Alex, how did I get back here?  The last thing I remember is getting sucker punched, again, by those robbers.”

“You have your new friend to thanks for that,” Alex said.  She took a step back from Kara’s bed and nodded to one side

Kara looked in the indicated direction and saw Mary leaning against a cabinet.  A smile broke out on Kara’s face.  “It’s you,” she said.

“That’s right, it’s me, Ms. Marvel,” Mary said.  “I was flying around the city when I saw you were in trouble so I leant a hand.”

“Thank-you,” Kara said.  “What are you doing here, in town, in general I mean.  Not that I’m ungrateful for the help, but we haven’t had a chance to speak yet and I’d really like that chance.”

Alex folded her arms across her chest.  “And I definitely want to talk to you about what your intentions are.”

Mary toyed with the edges of her cape.  “What I want?  I want to live my life in private.  That’s why I moved to National City.  I’m not looking to be a hero.  I’ll leave that to you.”

Kara pushed herself up into a sitting position on the bed  “Look, I don’t want to force you into doing anything you don’t want to, but are you sure?  You can do so much good in National City.”

“I’ve done the superhero thing, I’ve seen the cost, and I’m done with it.  I know that sounds selfish, but I’m not like you.  I can’t do it anymore.”  Mary clenched her fists as she spoke.

Alex and Kara shared a look.  “It’s okay Ms. Marvel, we aren’t about to draft you,” Alex said.  She held out a hand to placate Mary.  “I’m just thankful you decided to put on your suit when you did.  The DEO owes you a big debt of gratitude.”

Kara frowned.  “How did you know I was in trouble anyway?”

Mary shrugged.  “It’s one of my powers, I know things.”

Kara and Alex shared another look.  “What, er, sort of things?”  Kara asked.

“Not like your secret identity if that’s what you’re worried about,” Mary said.  “It’s more flashes of intuition.  I had an insight to go to that warehouse, so I did.”

“Lucky for me,” Kara said.

“The Wisdom of Solomon isn’t luck,” Mary said.  She unclenched her fists and sighed.  “Sorry, that was uncalled for.”

“What’s the Wisdom of Solomon?”  Alex asked.  “Is that what you call your powers?”

“It’s…I don’t have the time to get into the source of my powers,” Mary said.

“I don’t mean to pry, but what are you?”  Kara asked.

“Just a person who was gifted fantastic powers and didn’t know the consequences at the time,” Mary said.

Alex rested a hand on Kara’s shoulder.  “I think get the picture.  Thank-you for your help Ms. Marvel, we won’t keep you any longer.”

“What hurt you?”  Kara asked.  “I know that look in your eyes, and talking about it is the only way to make it go away.”  Alex tried to tighten her grip on Kara’s shoulder, but her hand cramped against Kara’s Kryptonian skin.  “I’m sorry, I’m being presumptuous again.  Thank-you for saving my life, I hope you reconsider your decision, but I can’t force you to do anything.”  She pushed herself off of the bed and walked over to Mary.  “Remember though, you are not alone.  If you ever want to talk to me about what happened to you I’m here.” She wrapped her arms around Mary and hugged her.  “Oof, it’s like hugging Superman.”

Mary smiled as she blinked back a tear.  “That means so much to me that you’d say that.  I’ll think about if, I promise.”

“We all need a shoulder to cry on,” Kara said.

“But if you aren’t ready to talk then you aren’t ready to talk,” Alex said, cutting Kara off.

“Right, what she said,” Kara said.

“You can stop selling me, I’ll think it over, ” Mary said.  “But right now I really do have somewhere else I’m supposed to be so.” She motioned to the door with her thumb.

“No, by all means go, don’t let us keep you,” Alex said.  “The DEO thanks you and you’re welcome to come back anytime.”  Mary waved, then flew out of the infirmary.

Alex then rounded on Kara.  “If I didn’t think it would break my hand I’ld slap you right now.”

Kara took step back from her sister.  “What do you mean?  I thought that conversation went about as well as we could have hoped for.”

Alex pinched the bridge of her nose.  “I’m not talking about Ms. Marvel Kara.  I’m talking about you.  I told you, no, I ordered you, to wait for the tactical team before you moved on those robbers.”

Kara dropped her head and stared intently at her boots.  “And I didn’t listen to you and walked headlong into a trap.”

“They have weapons designed to kill you.  The only reason we’re even having this conversation is because Ms. Marvel saved your ass.”

Kara held up an index finger.  “Okay, that’s mostly true, but I was about to get my second wind when she showed up.”  The expression on Kara’s face fell under the weight of Alex’s glare.  “Okay fine, I screwed up and should have listened to you.  Is that what you wanted to hear?”

“No, that’s what you were supposed to say,” Alex said.

Kara frowned.  “I don’t think I was entirely in the wrong.”

“We’re a team Kara, not your cheerleaders.”

“Oh no, I don’t think of you or anyone at the DEO like that, but if they could stop me so easily, what would a DEO strike team been capable of doing?”

“For starters you wouldn’t have been outnumbered,” Alex said.  She took a step towards Kara and hugged her sister.  “I get that you want to keep everyone safe, but let us do our jobs.  We are actually good at them”

“I’ll do my best, but I’m not going to wait for backup all the time you understand,” Kara said as she returned the hug.

Alex laughed.  “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

“I’m guessing the robbers abandoned their hideout?”

Alex nodded.  “They burned it to the ground.  Brainy is scouring the ruins looking for clues.”

“What about the trick he used to find them the first time?”

“No luck there, it’s almost like they knew about that vulnerability and used it to lure you into a trap.  Brainy’s detector hasn’t found anything since you came back to the DEO.”

“Do we know anything else about them?”

“Just that they’re meticulous planners.  We’re coming through police reports right now.  A crew like this, it’s obviously not their first rodeo.”

“That’s a good idea, if we know how they operated in the past we can guess what their next target will be,” Kara said as she stroked her chin.

“Yes Kara, that is the general idea,” Alex said.

“Sorry, that was more for my benefit than yours,” Kara said.  “Do you need my help with anything?”

“Considering there’s no one that needs to be punched right now no.”

Kara set her hands on her hips.  “I can do more than just punch things.”

“That’s very true,” Alex said.  “You also lift heavy things.  You’re very useful to have around.”

“I’m also a reporter Alex, research is what I do.”

“Oh you’re a reporter?  I never knew that,” Alex said as she grinned at Kara.

“You’re a jerk, you know that right?”  Kara said.

“If we need your help going over the police reports I’ll let you know, but we have a twelfth level intellect on the case, do you really want to take this away from him?  He lives for this.”

“I suppose.”

“Besides, don’t you have a day job you need to attend do?”

“I can do both at the same time.  I’m working on a story about the robbery.”  Kara smirked at Alex

“Then go be a reporter and stop bothering me,” Alex said.  “Your story can’t be all transcribed DEO reports.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Kara said.

Alex put her hands on Kara’s shoulders and shoved her towards the door.  “If we find anything I’ll call you.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll go ask a few questions as Kara Danvers, intrepid reporter and see what I find.”

“And if you do find anything call me,” Alex said.  “Don’t try and concoct some reason why you don’t have to, I don’t want to hear it.  If you have to move quickly fine, but give me a heads up first.”

Kara locked eyes with Alex then nodded.  “I’ll be sure to do that.”

“And if you don’t just remember, I can call you mom, both of them.”

Kara held a hand over her heart.  “You wouldn’t.”

“You better believe I would.  I’m the director of the DEO and I fight dirty.”

“J’onn has no idea the monster he created,” Kara said.

“Everything I do I learned from watching him,” Alex said.

“Okay fine, I promise to call you before I do anything.”  Kara glanced at a clock on the wall.  “But now I have to go.  I promised Mary I’d treat her to dinner to celebrate her new job and I’m late.”

“Don’t let me hold you up,” Alex said.  “It’s good what you’re doing for her, it is lonely when you move to a new city.”

“I do seem to recall saying that,” Kara said.

“Go have dinner with your friend Kara,” Alex said.

Kara walked into the restaurant she told Mary to meet her at.  She adjusted her glasses as she searched for Mary then walked over to the table where she was sitting.  “Sorry about being so late, I was working on a story about the jewelry store robbery and lost track of time.”

Mary smiled at Kara as she stood up to hug her.  “You don’t have to apologize, I know how you reporters can get when you’re tracking down a story.”

They sat down at the table and a waiter delivered a menu to Kara.  “That’s right, you said your brother is a reporter?”

“Yes, for a local radio station in Fawcett City.”

“Right, that’s right.”  Kara glanced at her menu.  “So how are you liking National City so far?”

Mary studied her menu.  “I mean it’s still early, but so far it’s been everything I hoped it would be.”

Kara smiled at Mary.  “That’s good to hear.”

“So what’s good to eat here?”

“Oh I like everything,” Kara said.  “And trust me, I’ve had everything.”

“That’s good to know.”

“I don’t recommend restaurants lightly,” Kara said.

“I can tell you take your food very seriously,” Mary said.

Kara closed her menu.  “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to enjoy what you eat.”

“I never said that.  I think it’s an endearing quirk, and a valuable asset to someone like me who just moved to town.”

“I suppose it is, are you ready to order?”

The rest of the meal was occupied with small talk about Mary’s day at CatCo, and Kara’s observations about life at the company.  As the meal wound down and they settled their bills Mary took one final sip from her water glass, wiped off her mouth and looked over at Kara.

“You were right, that was delicious.”

“I told you it would be,” Kara cocked her head to one side.  “What’s wrong?”

Mary fidgeted with her napkin.  “We need to talk, I know, I know, that’s what we’ve been doing, but there’s something I need to tell you, but I can’t do it here.  Meet me out back okay.”  Before Kara could reply Mary stood up and left the restaurant. 

Kara followed her outside and found Mary standing in an alley behind the restaurant.  “Mary, what’s going on?”

Mary started to pace.  “I probably shouldn’t do this, but you want to be my friend, so you need to know this about me, and honestly, it’s easier for me just to show you.”  Mary came to a stop and planted her hands on her hips.  “Shazam!”  Mary was enveloped in a bolt of lighting and when the blast faded she had changed into her Ms. Marvel costume. As Mary’s eyes readjusted from the glare of the lightning she saw Kara standing in front of her with her shirt pulled open to reveal her Supergirl costume underneath.

“You were right, we do clearly need to talk,” Kara said. 

-To Be Continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there cool people. So I've been tardy getting these updates out. In my defense, typing and editing are super boring. The good news is there are just two chapters left after this and if I knuckle down I should be able to knock them out promptly, maybe, hopefully, we'll see. Until next time thanks for reading.
> 
> -sam, 2018-11-05
> 
> ps: If you're reading this before the polls close on Nov-6 in the US and you're registered to vote. GO VOTE! Supergirl would want you to.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All the characters contained in this story are the propery of DC Comics and Warner Brothers. No infringement is intended.
> 
> Spoilers: This story takes place in between season three and four of Supergirl.
> 
> * * *

Back at Kara’s apartment Kara and Mary sat on the sofa dressed in their civilian clothes.  An open bottle of wine and two full glasses sat on the coffee table next to them.  The apartment door opened and Alex entered the room.  “What’s the emergency?”  Alex asked Kara as she walked into the living room.

“I just learned something interesting,” Kara said. She held her hands out as if she was making a presentation. “Mary is Ms. Marvel.”

Alex sunk down into the chair next to the sofa.  “What, seriously?”

Mary nodded her head.  “It’s true, and I know Kara is Supergirl.”

Kara fidgeted with her hands.  “Sorry about not telling you the truth after you saved me,” she said to Mary.

“It’s not like I was offering up my secret identity either at the time,” Mary said.

“Still, you did eventually, and I wasn’t even considering it.”

Alex held up her hands.  “Kara, that’s really not what’s important right now.  How do you know she’s Ms. Marvel?”

“Because she transformed right in front of my eyes,” Kara said.  She looked over at Mary.  “What was that whole business with the shouting anyway?”

“My powers only activate when I say the magic word that invokes them.”

“So you change into your superhero form every time you say a certain word?  That must be awkward.”

“Oh no, I also have to want to call the power, but it’s also a fairly obscure word.”

“But you also haven’t said what the word is,” Alex said.

“Nor will I, words have power and I like to keep mine close to the vest.”

“That’s fair, but I have so many questions,” Kara said.

“No, Captain Marvel isn’t my boyfriend, he’s my brother,” Mary said.

“Yeah no, that was’t one of them” Kara said as a lot of disgust crossed her face.  “I know better than to ask questions like that.  Superman is my baby cousin, but everyone assumes we’re dating.”

“Hold on, he’s your baby cousin?”  Mary asked.

“It’s a long story, don’t get her started,” Alex said.  “Why are you in National City?”

“And why have you given up being a superhero?”  Kara asked.

Mary picked up her wine glass and sighed.  “As I’m sure you guessed those are two related questions.  How much do you know about me and my brother?”

“Less than I should probably,” Kara said.  “I wasn’t paying close attention to the news back then.”

“There were three of us:  My brother, our friend Freddy, and me.  We all fought crime together, and it was great fun.”  Mary drew in a deep breath.  “Until one of our main rivals, Dr. Sivana, tried to destroy not only Fawcett City, but the source of our powers.  We stopped him, but the cost was too high.  Billy, Captain Marvel, wanted to continue on, but I was done, done with Fawcett City, and done with being a superhero.  I moved to Metropolis for college then came here after graduation.”

“Mary, how old were you when you got your powers?”  Alex asked.  “Because I remember you being a hero when I was in high school.”

“Oh I got my powers a long time ago, I was eleven, twelve,” Mary said.  “The magical transference works better on children apparently.”

“That’s awful,” Kara said.  She reached over and pulled Mary in for a hug.  “Children should never have to do what you did, and I’m so, so sorry for what you had to put up with.”

Thanks, but Kara, I’m just a normal person when I haven’t said the magic word, and I don’t want to scorch your couch just to survive a hug.”

Kara released Mary and leaned back on the sofa.  “Sorry, sorry.  I’m normally better about that.”

“She’s really not,” Alex said.  “And I have the bruises to prove it.”

“What are you powers?”  Kara asked.  “I don’t mean to pry, but I never pass up the chance to talk shop with a fellow hero, or former hero in your case.”

“She means she likes to show off her powers to other people,” Alex said.  Mary chuckled at the joke.

“Let’s see.  I’m wise, super fast, super strong, tremendous endurance…”

“Hold up, wisdom is one of your super powers?” Alex asked.

“Yes, I get flashes of insight, like how I knew I could trust you with my real identity, or that you were in danger with those robbers.”

“Not gonna lie, I’m super jealous.  I wish that was one of my powers,” Kara said.

“You’ll just have to tell for all the powers you do have,” Alex said.  She reached over at took the wine glass in front of Kara.

“Hey that’s mine!” Kara said.

“You weren’t drinking it, and I needed it more” Alex said before taking a sip from the glass.  “Mary, what’s your plan now?”

“My plan?”

“Now that you’ve told us your alter-ego what do you plan to do next?”

Mary shrugged.  “I don’t know, keep working for CatCo I guess.  I just started there and I’ve enjoyed it so far.”

“I think what Alex means is have you changed your mind about giving up being a superhero,.” Kara said.  “I won’t lie, I would really appreciate an extra set of hands out there.”

“No, like I keep saying, I’m done with being a superhero,” Mary said.

“You say that, but you still rescued me today, and you helped me stop that bank robbery too.”

“I’m not saying I’ll never help people if they need it,” Mary said.  “I’m not heartless.”

“You don’t want it to be a second job, I understand that,” Kara said.  “But as much as you say you don’t want to be a hero, it’s not something you can turn off I’m afraid.  Though I think you already know that.”

“I, it’s just so hard,” Mary said.

Kara rested a hand on Mary’s knee.  “I know, believe me I know, but the world needs your talents.  I need your talents.  I think we all know Alex and I won’t be able to stop these robbers by ourselves.  We need your help making sure they don’t hurt anyone.”

“What about Superman?”

Alex shook her head.  “He has his own problems he’s dealing with.”

“I don’t want you to feel like you’re being pressured to do this,” Kara said.  “But Supergirl really could use the help.”

“And why else would you move to National City, and especially seek her out if you weren’t, on some level, looking to be talked back into being a hero again,” Alex said.

“No, that’s not it at all,” Mary said.  “I told you why I moved here.  It was because I knew Super, er, Kara could handle any bad guy who came through town.”

“But I can’t, not on my own.  I need your help with this Mary.  Your friend, what was his name again?”

Mary looked down at her hands.  “Freddy.”

“Do you think Freddy would want you to sit around feeling sorry for yourself, or for you to honor his sacrifice and keep trying to make the world a safer place?”

“You really cared about him didn’t you?” Alex said.

Mary continued to pick at imaginary specks of dirt under her fingernails.  “I don’t know, maybe?  We were both so young, we never got the chance to figure out what we meant to each other exactly.  But I like to think there’s a world where we did, and sometimes I’d rather have her life.”

“Good news, there probably is,” Kara said under her breath.

“What was that?” Mary asked

“Oh nothing, nothing, just thinking out loud,” Kara said.

“The point we’re trying to get at,” Alex started to say.

“Freddy would want me to keep fighting, but you didn’t know him, I did,” Mary said.

“And are we wrong?”  Kara asked.

Mary stood up from the sofa and walked over to the windows.  “No you’re not.  Freddy would yell at me for giving up I’m sure.”

Kara stood up and joined Mary at the window.  She put her arm around Mary and gave her a hug.  “I know, it’s hard, and it sucks, but this is the right thing to do.”

Mary sighed.  “So what do you want me to do?”

“We can go back to the DEO and see if Brainy has had any luck in tracking down the robbers,” Alex said as she joined the pair.  

“Brainy?” Mary asked.

“He’s…a friend, it’s hard to explain to someone, even if you have superpowers,” Kara said.

“He’s our tech expert,” Alex said.

“And who are you?”  Mary asked Alex.

“A top secret government agency, Kara helps us out,” Alex said.

Mary nodded her head.  “That’s cool.  I’m not sure how comfortable I am with the government knowing who I am, but cool.”

“Don’t worry, we’re the good guys,” Kara said.  “I wouldn’t work for them if they weren’t.”

Mary shrugged her shoulders.  “If Supergirl says I can trust you then I guess I can.”

Kara clapped her hands together.  “That’s great.  I’m excited for the chance to work together.”

Alex tapped Mary on the shoulder.  “Moving to National City was your first mistake if you’re curious.  Everyone who falls into Kara’s orbit is compelled to be a better person.  It’s her most annoying superpower.”

“I believe in people, why is that annoying?” Kara asked Alex.

Alex smiled, then tapped Kara on the arm.  “Because sometimes us mortals don’t want to be our best selves all the time.  But it’s okay, we still love you anyway.”

“Aww, thanks Alex,” Kara said.  “Now Mary, I know you’re worried, but don’t be.  We aren’t about to dragoon you into an inter-dimensional war.  You can help out on your own schedule.”

Mary looked over at Alex.  “Inter dimensional war, is that seriously on the table?”

Alex sighed.  “Not at this moment, but who knows what will happen by the end of the week.”

“I’m starting to regret agreeing to help you,” Mary said.  She looked back and forth between the sisters.

“It’s usually not that bad,” Kara said.  “And if there is inter dimensional trouble we have a lot of friends to call on.”

“First things first, let’s stop these robbers then we can worry about other dimensions,” Alex said.

Kara clapped her hands together.  “Right, let’s suit up and get to work.”  She glanced over at Mary.  “On second thought, maybe wait to suit up.  I don’t want anything in my place set on fire.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All the characters contained in this story are the propery of DC Comics and Warner Brothers. No infringement is intended.
> 
> Spoilers: This story takes place in between season three and four of Supergirl.
> 
> * * *

Alex, Kara and Mary walked into the main hall of the DEO.  Alex and Kara were both dressed in their costumes while Mary was still wearing her civilian clothes.  Kara looked over at Mary and saw her obvious discomfort at being the only person in the room not wearing a uniform.  “You look underdressed,” she said to Mary.  “Why don’t you use that balcony to change into something more appropriate?  Not that what you’re wearing right now isn inappropriate of course.”

Mary smiled at Kara.  “I’ll be right back.”

“Wait, what, why is she going up there to change?” Alex asked Kara.

“Just watch,” Kara said.

Mary stepped out onto the balcony, set her hands on her hips and looked up at the sky.  “Shazam!”

The bolt of lightning blinded Alex and after she blinked her eyes clear she saw Mary now dressed in her costume.  “So that’s why you didn’t want her to change indoors,” Alex said to Kara.

“I like my stuff,” Kara said.

“I’ll have you know that invoking my powers indoors doesn’t cause property damage,” Mary said as she walked over to Alex and Kara.  “That much damage anyway.”

Kara clapped her hands together.  “Right, let’s go see if Brainy has anything for us.”  They walked down the stairs towards the command center where they were met by Brainiac-5.  

“Oh good, you’re here, along with a new friend,” Brainy said.  He walked up to Mary and held out his hand.  “Hello Captain Marvel, it is good to meet you.  Your exploits are the stuff of legend.”

Mary stared at Brainy’s hand.  “You must have me confused with someone else, I’m Ms. Marvel, not Captain Marvel.”

“Right, of course, my mistake, forget I said anything,” Brainy said.

“Brainy’s a hyper intelligent android from the future,” Kara said.

“And before you ask, no the future is not set in stone,” Brainy said.  “Temporal mechanics are too complicated to explain to people who are not at least a tenth level intellect.”

Mary set her hands on her hips.  “I possess the Wisdom of Soloman, try me.”

Alex stepped in between Brainy and Mary.  “We can debate this after we’ve arrested the dangerous criminals.  Have you made any headway finding them Agent Dox?”

Brainy raised an index finger.  “Not precisely, but I have determined where they’re going to be.”

“That’s amazing, how?”  Kara asked.

“Simple, I analyzed the earlier robbery and compared it to other unsolved crimes that had similar properties.  From that I constructed a probability model to deduce where they will strike next.”

“So you made a guess,” Mary said.

“I am a twelfth level intellect, I do not guess,” Brainy said.

“Your probability model, did it have just one result?”  Mary asked.

“No, of course not, there were many, but out of all the possibilities I selected the one with the highest likelihood of being the correct choice.”

“Could I see your list please?”  Mary asked.

“I don’t see why this is necessary,” Brainy said.

“Brainy, please, just show her the list,” Kara said.

Brainy scowled, but lead the group to his workstation in the command center.  He called up the list on his monitor and stepped back.  “There, as you can plainly see, based on their previous actions I found the most likely location of their next robbery will be a bank.  More specifically a mid-sized retail bank.  Plenty of cash on hand, but fewer security resources than a large bank.  Which is why their next target will be Maritime Bank on Shaner Avenue.”

Mary scanned the list then jabbed her finger at an item further down.  “No, it’s this one.”

Brainy looked at the list. “It most certainly is not.  Third Federated Bank on Houser Street only has an 83.5 percent chance of being robbed.”

Mary smiled at Brainy.  “I have the Wisdom of Solomon remember?  Plus you said my exploits are going to be legendary.”

Kara looked between Mary and Brainy.  “We don’t have to put all our eggs in one basket.  Ms. Marvel and I can stakeout her choice, while Alex, Brainy and a DEO strike team can keep watch on his.  How’s that for the Wisdom of Solomon?”

“Threaten to cut one baby in half and that’s all anyone knows your for,” Mary said.

Alex nodded her head.  “It’s a good plan.  Whoever sees the robbers call the other team for backup.”

“And if neither of our guesses are right?”  Kara asked.

“Given who we have making the guesses do you really think they’re both wrong?”  Alex replied.

“It would be really embarrassing for everyone if they were,” Kara said.

“Don’t worry, one of us is right,” Mary said.

“Then we don’t have a moment to lose.  Come on, I have a score to settle with these jerks,” Kara said to Mary.

Mary cracked her knuckles.  “I’m right behind you.”

“Good luck,” Alex said. 

“You too,” Mary replied.

Kara and Mary stood on top of a building that overlooked the Third Federated Bank.  “You’re fast,” Kara told Mary.  “I mean I wasn’t going all out back there, but I could tell that you’re fast.”  Kara drew in a large gulp of air to catch her breath.

“I do have the Speed of Mercury after all,” Mary said.  “You’re pretty quick yourself.”

Kara straightened her back.  “Faster than a speeding bullet as the saying goes.  I can take Superman in a race, but between you and me The Flash has me beat.”

“The who?”

“Friend of mine, long story I’ll explain it later.”  Kara surveyed the surrounding area.

“What if we were wrong about the location?”  Mary asked.

“Doubting your Wisdom of Solomon?”  

Mary shrugged her shoulders.  “I’m not infallible.”

Kara tapped on her ear lobe.  “I can hear just about everything that happens in National City.  If this isn’t the right bank I’ll know where they really are soon enough.”

“That must make your job as a reporter a lot easier,” Mary said.

“You’d think so, but sometimes proving why you know something you shouldn’t is a bigger pain than getting the information like an ordinary human.”

“Telling your editor that you know the mayor is dirty because you have super hearing doesn’t cut it?”

Kara shook her head.  “I’ve tried, but James said it doesn’t meet the journalistic standards at CatCo.”

“Too bad, you’d be an amazing investigative journalist otherwise.”

“Who says I’m not?”  Kara replied.  She then glanced down the street and motioned for Mary to duck out of sight.  “That’s them.”  Kara toggled on her radio.  “I just spotted the robbers.  We’re on our way to stop them.  Tell Brainy Ms. Marvel was right.”

“She was working for a list I put together,” Brainy said over the radio.  “Technically I was correct too.”

“We’re enroute to your location,” Alex said.  “Be careful Supergirl.”

“Don’t worry, I have my ace in the hole with me,” Kara said.  “We’ll have this wrapped up by the time you get here.”

Inside a stolen armored car the Boss and the rest of the crew were preparing to pull off their next job.  “One last time, everyone knows their roles?”  Boss asked.

“We’ve been over this a million times,” Rem said.  “Nails and I lock down the lobby while you and Phreak get the cash.”

“And now I know that you know the plan,” Boss said.  Nails tapped Rem on the chest then shook his head, telling him to drop the subject.

“Hey Wheels,” Phreak said.  “We almost there?  I hate driving in the back of these things always makes me car sick.”

“Don’t you dare throw up back there man,” Wheels said.  “Nobody wants to deal with that while we’re in a high speed chase.”

“Relax Phreak, we’re almost there,” Boss said.

The armored car pulled up to a stop at a traffic light.  Before the light turned green there was a tremendous jolt that knocked everyone to floor.  As they struggled to stand up, another job sent them tumbling back down.  

“What the hell,” Rem said as he reached for the van’s rear door.

“No don’t!” Boss shouted in an attempt to stop Rem from opening the door.  The warning came too late and Rem scrambled back towards the front of the armored car when he said the National City skyline.  

“We’re flying you damn idiot!” Phreak shouted at Rem.  “Are you trying to get us killed?”

“I didn’t know that,” Rem shouted back. “How are we flying?”

“I think we’re about to find out,” Boss said.

The armored car landed on the ground with enough force to buckle the suspension and knock the crew back to the floor.  There was a loud tearing sound as the roof was torn off the van.  The men look up and saw Kara and Mary floating over them.  The roof was still in Mary’s hands while Kara’s eyes glowed with her heat vision.

“Raise your hands and surrender,” Kara said.  “We’ve got you surrounded.  Rem started to reach for his gun but a quick blast of Kara’s heat vision caused him to scurry away form it.  He, and the rest of the crew, raised their arms in defeat.

“So do we wait for the police to get here?”  Mary asked Kara.

“I have a better idea,” Kara said.

When the police arrived in the empty lot Mary had deposited the armored car in they found the Boss and the others wrapped up in the torn off roof.  “So much for your perfect plan,” Rem said to the Boss.

“Don’t worry boys, I’m already working on contingency,” Boss said as a fire crew started to cut them free.  “Then we can get some revenge on Supergirl and her new friend.”

The next day at CatCo, Kara walked up to Mary’s desk.  “You’re still here.”

Mary looked up from her computer at Kara.  “Where would I go?  This is my job,” she said.

“I thought maybe you might decide to try your luck somewhere else, somewhere people don’t know all your deep dark secrets.”

“No matter where I go I’ll still be me,” Marry said.  “How can I run away from that?

Kara leaned over and squeezed Mary’s hand.  “I’m glad to hear that you’re staying.”

“Kara, I was hoping I might find you here,” Lena sad as she approached Mary’s desk.  “Still showing the new girl the ropes?”

Kara stood up straight and adjusted her glasses.  “Yep, that’s exactly what I was doing.”  She and Lena shared a hug.

“Thank you so much for this Kara.  You’re the only person I trust with training up the next assistant, speaking of which,” Lena turned her attention to Mary.  “We haven’t been properly introduced yet.  I’m Lena Luthor and you must be Mary Bromfield.”

Mary scrambled to her feet and shook Lena’s hand.  “Yes, that’s me.  Thank you so much for this opportunity Ms. Luthor.”

“Please, call me Lena,” Lena said.  “I’m not big on formality.”

Mary nodded her head.  “I’ll be sure to remember that Lena.”

“And has Kara taught you all the tips and tricks of the job?”

She has,” Mary said.  She then smiled at Kara.  “Plus I’m sure if something unexpected comes up she’ll be a wealth of knowledge.”

“I’ve always thought Kara was an indispensable part of CatCo,” Lena said.  “By the way Kara, excellent job on that story about the robbers Supergirl caught.  Do we have any more information on her accomplice?”

Kara shook her head.  “No but I’m sure my sources will turn up something soon.”

“I have no doubt,” Lean said.  “I need to be getting back to the lab, I just wanted to stop in and say hello to Mary.  If you’re half as good as Kara say you are I’m sure you’ll do a super job for us here at CatCo.”

Kara looked back and forth between Lena and Mary.  “I agree completely.  Mary is going to do a marvelous job here in National City.”

-The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now it's done. This story has been one of my two remaining "white whales" when it comes to Supergirl. Mary Marvel meeting Kara Danvers is such a natural fit that I'm a little upset it doesn't happen more often. This was a fun story to write, and while I don't anticipate any sequels spawning out of it you never know. Oh, and that other white whale Supergirl story? I have about twenty pages left to write on it, so expect to see that hopefully before March next year. Thanks for reading, and enjoy Elseworlds!
> 
> -sam, 2018-12-09


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